SAP Data Archiving

What Is Data Archiving?

Data archiving is the process of identifying data that is no longer active or infrequently used and moving it out of production systems into a separate storage device for long-term storing. Data archiving is sometimes referred to as enterprise information archiving, or EIA.

A business may conduct data archiving to meet compliance or information governance requirements, lawsuit management, reduce storage load and costs, or for reasons related to business intelligence.

Today, data’s value potential has increased, and businesses see strategic advantage in having a sound data archiving strategy. They are looking beyond compliance and organizational requirements as drivers of their data archiving strategy to opportunities for gaining competitive insights, reducing costs, and improving performance.

SAP provides SAP Data Archiving service, formerly called SAP Cloud Platform Data Archiving. SAP Data Archiving service runs on SAP Business Technology Platform and offers blocking and archiving capabilities for business data to reduce total cost of ownership.

Many vendors and consulting firms support data archiving. For example, Accenture has developed a data archiving approach which the company applied internally when it needed to migrate its archiving solution from on-premise to the cloud.

And Auritas provides tools that support data archiving, including Archive Scheduling Manager and SAP Data Archiving Tool.

What Is Data Archiving?

A business may conduct data archiving to meet compliance or information governance requirements, lawsuit management, reduce storage load and costs, or for reasons related to business intelligence.

And Auritas provides tools that support data archiving, including Archive Scheduling Manager and SAP Data Archiving Tool.

Data Archiving vs. Backup

Data archiving makes it much easier to index and retrieve specific information. Data archiving allows for the data to remain active and accessible.

A backup, on the other hand, provides a snapshot of the entire system, making it nearly impossible to separate out and move specific data.

Case Study: Nexeo Solutions’ Data Archiving Strategy Ensures Security and Improves Performance

For Nexeo Solutions, an independent chemicals, plastics, and environmental services distribution company, a data archiving project was the second piece of a significant and phased data management journey.

Following a separation from its parent company, Nexeo Solutions undertook a two-part data management project: separate its data from the parent company and archive the data.

Nexeo used a carve-out application to break down the overall data archiving exercise into two distinct phases. The first phase consisted of mass archiving related transactional data that the solution selected according to conditions the company required.

The second phase was a master data carve-out, which increased the complexity of the project. A significant contributor was the company code, which was shared by Nexeo Solutions and the parent company.

Nexeo’s data archiving project concluded in September 2017, resulting in successfully carving out 91% of targeted customers, 88% of targeted vendors, and 72% of targeted materials. The company also achieved a 500GB reduction in the size of its database.

Follow a Reliable Project Management Framework for Your SAP Archiving Process

Published: 08/September/2010

Reading time: 14 mins

/Project ManagementLearn a project management methodology that is imperative for a successful SAP archiving project. Key Concept SAP data archiving project management entails the process of planning, organizing, and managing resources to ensure the successful implementation of a data volume management strategy called SAP data archiving. Data archiving as a data management concept helps reduce...…
Best Practices for Planning Your mySAP CRM Data Archiving Project

Published: 15/December/2005

Reading time: 17 mins

Archiving dormant data can improve CRM system performance, which is especially critical in today’s mobile CRM deployments. It also can substantially reduce database costs and keep you in compliance with document-retention policies and industry and government regulations. Learn the steps you need to take when planning a CRM archiving project. Key Concept The same archiving...…
Critical Success Factors for Information Lifecycle Management in SAP CRM

Published: 15/April/2008

Reading time: 19 mins

Find out how to bridge the gaps between business requirements, such as having the ability to access information, and IT goals, such as keeping the SAP system maintainable and the data receptors clean, in relation to CRM archiving. Key Concept Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) combines processes and technologies to provide users with the information needed...…
How and Why You Should Archive Data in SAP CRM

Published: 15/January/2008

Reading time: 11 mins

Get an overview of the SAP CRM data archiving process and learn an eight-step method you can use to archive data. Also, find out what you should consider for your SAP CRM data archiving project. Key Concept SAP provides the archive service technology Archive Development Kit (ADK) for implementation of secure and efficient archiving processes....…
Improve Your System Performance by Archiving Data in BW: Part 1

Published: 01/March/2006

Reading time: 15 mins

Archiving BW data reduces its volume, resulting in faster loads and queries. This first article of a three-part series explains the entire process to archive ODS or InfoCube data step by step. Key Concept Archiving is available with BW Release 3.0B and above. You can archive from InfoCubes and ODS tables, but currently you cannot...…
Data Archiving and Retrieval Tips for HR and Payroll

Published: 15/June/2004

Reading time: 17 mins

In the follow-up to his March article on archiving, the author further explains his recent successful archiving project. He shows how to group and prepare your data for archiving. He also discusses two data retrieval functions, Analyze and Archive Information System. In my earlier SAPexperts article, I introduced the HR/Payroll data archiving project that my company...…
Use the Information Life Cycle to Determine Your Archiving Strategy

Published: 25/April/2011

Reading time: 12 mins

Understand the three most popular methods for archiving SAP NetWeaver BW data: SAP Archive Development Kit (ADK), SAP NetWeaver Near-Line Storage (NLS), and the not-so-well-known ADK with NLS. Equip yourself to choose the appropriate method for your needs. Key Concept An organization’s data goes through different life cycle stages. Each life cycle stage calls for...…
- SAP Data Center
Optimize Data Management in All Phases of Your SAP Implementation

Published: 04/June/2010

Reading time: 22 mins

Poor data management can lead to many problems, from incorrect data, to a lack of integration, to bad analysis. Learn ways an effective data management strategy can help you in your efforts to optimize your system’s performance while increasing your compliance and reducing cost. Key Concept Data management is a critical component of running a...…
Archiving Process, Phase 1: Setting Up Your System

Published: 01/September/2008

Reading time: 9 mins

Understand how the archiving process has changed in SAP NetWeaver BI 7.0. Find out the three steps you can take for archiving, then see how to go about the first part of the process: setting your system up for archiving using Archive Development Kit. Key Concept Every company must address archiving eventually. By reducing the...…
Tips and Tricks for Archiving Your Purchasing Documents

Published: 14/June/2010

Reading time: 9 mins

Gain insight into preconditions for archiving purchasing documents that reduce database maintenance time, storage requirements, and data backup, among other benefits. Gather strategies to avoid unnecessary errors and pitfalls when archiving purchasing documents in the SAP system. Key Concept Data archiving is the process of removing a large volume of data that is no longer...…